The Perfect Couple
by gwoman
Summary: Filler for Triumvirate


The Perfect Couple  
Filler of sorts for Triumvirate - picks up between the last scene and the tag  
Spoilers from Triumvirate (I think that's all)  
Summary: Lee tells Amanda that he hears, 'through the grapevine'. Here's one girls take on that grapevine.   
  
Lee Stetson left the debriefing room with a sick feeling in his stomach. Not only was one of the most notorious killers ever to have been in the Agency's custody set to go free in a matter of hours, he had actually been on the payroll!   
  
'How did this happen?' he asked himself, running a hand roughly through his hair. 'We're supposed to be protecting the innocent,' he thought, 'not killing them.' He closed his eyes grimly as he thought back to Eagles ordering that Amanda be given an injection that would end her life. Or was it Falcon, he wondered. Funny how when it came to Amanda, he seemed to lose all perspective. Facts that on any other day with any other person would be recalled to mind with black or white clarity suddenly seemed to blur together in a haze of grey. He shook his head in disgust, opening his eyes, his face set in a determined scowl.   
  
"Stetson!" he heard someone yell. He stopped mid-stride and turned to see his section chief moving towards him. "My god man, I've been calling you ever since you left the debriefing room."  
  
"Sorry, Billy, I guess I was....thinking." He looked down to see his own barely controlled frustration and anger mirrored in the older man's face.   
  
"Yes," Billy agreed, "I think we'll all be doing a little of that tonight. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," pausing, he asked, "how's Amanda?"  
  
"Oh," Lee's face immediately softened into something almost resembling a smile, "well, you know, she says she's fine. I had Parker take her home while we were tied up. But I was just going to head over there to make sure."  
  
Billy kept a straight face, all the while smiling on the inside, knowing better than to reveal to this particular agent that he could see right through him. He cleared his throat as he said, "Good idea. But before you do that, could you stop by the hospital and check on Francine? Make sure she had everything she needs. If I know her, she'll think we've all forgotten about her."  
  
"Francine! With all that's happened, I almost did forget about her."  
  
"Don't let her hear you say that," Billy warned.  
  
"Yeah," Lee muttered. "I'll stop by there on my way to Amanda's. See ya Billy."  
  
"Goodnight, Scarecrow."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lee arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later after having made a crucial stop for flowers and more importantly, chocolates. "Knock, knock," he called as he stuck his head in the door of room 212. Upon receiving no response, he ventured cautiously into the semi-darkened space.   
  
"Francine?" he called softly. No answer. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he began to think this visit might be a piece of cake after all. He approached her bed to find her asleep, still connected to an IV. 'Knock out juice,' he mused silently, 'she's still out. No wonder she hasn't been calling the Agency every ten minutes for a status report.' He shook his head in amusement as he chuckled softly.   
Quietly setting the pot of yellow flowers down on her nightstand along with the chocolates, he then carefully picked up her right, IV free, hand. Looking down at his sleeping friend he said softly, "Hey...I just want to thank you for what you did tonight, Francine. I know things got a little rough, but you took care of it the way you always do....you're a real professional....and a true friend." Then looking down at the limp hand he held in both of his, he admitted so silently, it was barely more than a whisper, "I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to her...."   
  
The slight pressure on his left hand snapped his head up to look at her face. Eyes still closed, Francine murmured, "Couldn't let anything happen to Amanda....Lee'd kill me..."  
  
Panic evident on his face, he frantically thought, 'Did I say that out loud? Did she hear me? Does she know who I am? I only said that because....because.....aahh!' He grumbled to himself, suddenly releasing Francine's hand and wanting nothing more than to bolt from the room.   
  
As her hand hit the bed, Francine stirred slightly and slowly working to open her blurry eyes murmured, "Lee? 'zat you?"   
  
Looking around frantically, he thought, 'nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.' His still very panicked hazel eyes settling back on her still very blurry blue ones, he said with a nervous laugh, "Uh, yeah...yeah, Francine, it's me...how," his voice failed him. Clearing his throat and trying again he continued, "how're you feeling?"   
  
"'m tired, dopin' me up pretty good" she mumbled, "how's 'manda?"  
  
He took a deep breath and averting his eyes from hers, focused on the hand he was once again holding. "Uh, good...you know, she's good," he shrugged, at the same time letting out the breath in a gust of air.   
  
"mmm," Francine mumbled in the way of response. Her next sentence was lost to him as she began to slip from consciousness.   
  
"What Francine?" he asked suddenly curious.   
  
"date," she muttered with a little more conviction, "manda needs a date...for th' reunion." Opening her eyes again in an attempt to focus on his face, she said, "you could take'r...you're a date..." the rest of her words were again lost to him as she mumbled on.   
  
"What? What Francine?" he asked leaning towards her, more than a little curious as to what else she might enlighten him with.   
  
"perfec' couple," she managed with her eyes closed and a slight smile.   
  
Lee released her hand again and straightened up wondering, 'Perfect couple? Is she talking about me and Amanda?" A grin, that if not for the happiness it expressed, might look silly, plastered itself on his face. 'Perfect couple,' he mused again. 'I like the sound of that. And with a little fancy talking...I bet I could convince Amanda...'  
  
The thought settled itself in his mind with a sudden clarity he wasn't used to when dealing with thoughts of Amanda. He suddenly leaned down and kissed Francine softly on the cheek, "Thanks, friend. I owe you."  
  
Her only response was a soft sigh, "Lee, mmm."  
  
"Get well soon, Francine," he said softly heading for the door. In his haste, he almost knocked over the small nurse coming in to check on Francine.   
  
"Whoa," she cried in surprise as Lee's hands shot out to steady her.   
  
"Sorry," he said as he let her go to continue his hurried departure. Then thinking better of it, he stopped and turned as he asked, "How is she?"  
  
"Oh, Miss Desmond is recovering quite nicely, Dr. Leatham is quite happy with her progress. She's still under the effects of the pain killer which keeps her sedated."  
  
"Oh, well, she was just talking to me," Lee informed the nurse.   
  
"Mm, I'm not surprised," Nurse 'Nancy' he noticed, replied. "But it's unlikely she was conscious enough to remember any of it."  
  
"Really?" Lee asked, the former grin firmly in place again.  
  
"Uh, yes," Nurse Nancy replied as she took in his jubilant look.   
  
"Thanks for the information," Lee said as he turned to continue his journey to the outside world.   
  
'What an odd man,' the nurse thought to herself as she continued into room 212 to check on her patient, 'but what a hunk!'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lee laid in bed that night, going over the evening. How he'd rushed home to rummage through every closet he had for something appropriate to wear. How he'd 'convinced' Amanda to go the reunion with him. All the events of the evening. No wonder he was tired. Yet at the same time he was wide awake. He fell asleep that night, dreaming of 'the perfect couple.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A few days later, Francine was hobbling around the bullpen with her crutches when Lee walked by with Amanda in tow.   
  
"Morning Francine," he smiled at her.   
  
"Good morning, Francine," Amanda echoed.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Francine grunted in disgust at their early morning cheerfulness. Once again lamenting her situation, she suddenly paused and looked back in the direction Lee and Amanda had gone. A strange feeling swept over her as she thought to herself, 'Why am I thinking that Lee and I would make the perfect couple? Huh, must have taken one too many painkillers yesterday.' Shaking her head, she attempted to return her focus to hobbling to Billy's office, all the while her mind kept repeating, 'the perfect couple, the perfect couple.....'  
  
The End 


End file.
